Because the Cat Purrs
Because the Cat Purrs: How We Relate to Other Species and Why It Matters Janet Lembke,
Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing
ISBN: 1602392358
DDC: 590
Edition: Hardcover; 2008-05-01
Summary:
"A new book by Janet Lembke is always a cause for celebration."—Sue
HubbellWe share our lives, for better or worse, with a multitude of
animals, white-tailed deer and white-tailed eagles, hens and wrens,
frogs and guppies, and, last but hardly least, bugs and bacteria. For
the most part, we drift along separately, with neither man nor animal
affecting the other's way of life. Sometimes, however, we fall in
love—as in the case of the cat in the title—or otherwise encounter
our animal neighbors in ways that change both of us. Lembke
challenges her readers to consider the idea that all creatures are
conscious, with the ability to make choices, exercise awareness, and
seek pleasure while shunning pain.Rarely has a book of natural
history covered such a broad range of subjects, from the everyday
bargains we make with our pets and other domestic creatures to
descriptions of bungee-cord snail sex and the purpose of a honeybee's
sting. Lembke explores the evolution of her subjects, and draws on
literature and myth to paint gorgeous, wide-ranging portraits of
everyday (and more unusual) encounters, such as that of a gardener
and a groundhog, or a chicken egg and Augustus Caesar's wife. This is
a sensitive and timely appraisal of how we treat the creatures we
share our planet with—and how we ought to. It is a book that no lover
of intelligent writing about the natural world will want to miss. 20
b/w illustrations.
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